


Dead Man Walking

by Soulpunker_Stump



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angela the doctor, Cancer, Character Death, F/M, Gabe the police man, Jesse is a dog, Mentions of Cancer, Modernish AU, based on a prompt, but like not really?, unbeta
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-10-21 04:30:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17636072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soulpunker_Stump/pseuds/Soulpunker_Stump
Summary: Angela can see when people are suppose to die and Gabe was suppose to be dead.





	1. I Need Some Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to Max for encouraging me to write this and helping me figure out some parts when I got stuck. This was 100% written for you and I love you.

Being a doctor had its ups and downs. It was impossible to save everyone, but no matter what there was the desire to try to.

Dr. Angela Ziegler had a curse, or a gift depending on how one looked at it. She could see when somebody was going to die. The date and time varied in color, but it was always above a person's head.

This ability was beneficial at work. If treatments had worked or not were faster to find out. So many more lives were prolonged by such a simple thing because the waiting game to see if it worked could be cut out. It did however hurt to see the dates above loved ones heads. Knowing somebody close to her could perish soon and there was nothing she could do to prevent it cause Angela to become distant from everyone. The excuses of why always revolved around her being too busy with work, and not once did she ever budge from saying no.

\-----------

Another shift was over and this time it actually ended at decent time. Nobody called out for once so the need to stay for a double shift didn't arise. That fact brought joy to Angela since for the first time in many weeks she'd be able to sit around and enjoy her time off before next shift.

As she pulled up to her home, she noticed her neighbor had just gotten home too. He was an attractive man by the name of Gabriel Reyes. If it hadn't been for the little 'gift' Angela had than she'd honestly consider dating him or at least getting to know him as a friend. He seemed sweet enough. The fact that he was easy on the eyes helped too.

While she got out of her car and walked up the short pathway to her front door, Gabriel came over to the picket fence that separated their yards. “Hey doc. I was beginning to wonder if you still lived here. Been a while since I last saw you.” He chuckled.

A smile formed on her face as she strayed from the pathway over to where he was. A little conversation never hurt. Besides it wasn't like this was going solidify a relationship of some kind.

“Good to see you too Gabriel,” Angela spoke when she finally reached the fence. “Work has kept me busy since we always seem to be short staffed. I might as well sell my house and live in my office at this rate.” She joked. Out of habit, she gave a glance at the date above his head. It was red and looked faded? With narrowed eyes, she looked closer at it before shock crossed her face. That can't be right. That was yesterday afternoon.

Gabriel took notice of the look on the doctor's face with some confusion. “Something wrong doc? You look like you've seen a ghost.” His hand came to rest on her shoulder and shocked her out of her stupor. His hand was freezing like he had been standing out in the snow all day, but it was the middle of summer. There was no reason for him to be so cold.

“Do you feel alright?” Blurted out Angela. None of this added up. He was suppose to be dead. Every person she had ever encountered died when the numbers showed so. There was no exception, the numbers showed somebody died at this time than they died at that time. So how was Gabriel still alive? He was suppose to be dead yesterday at noon. The fact that he was cold as ice was not helping to make sense of it all. Taking a closer look at his face, she noticed how his skin looked a little washed out and had a unhealthy grey tint to it.

He gave her a look of befuddlement. The question was out of the blue and had no prompting. “I'm fine. Are you doc?”

Why wouldn't he be fine, Angela? He didn't know he was suppose to die yesterday.

“Sorry, I think I'm imagining things. I must be too tired from working so much.” She fibbed not knowing how to explain what was going on. Her hands came up to tighten her ponytail as she took a step back from the fence. “Maybe I should go and rest. I'll talk to you later, Gabriel.” This conversation needed to be over because Angela was not processing any of this well.

Just as she was turning away to head back to her home, Gabriel grabbed her hand and gently tugged it to get her to stay for another moment. Her head whipped back around to look at him, confusion plain on her face as to why he stopped her.

“Angela, maybe you should come over to my place if you aren't doing to hot. I'll cook. Or we can get take out? I just want to make sure you're ok.”

Excuses bubbled at the back of her throat, but none of them would come out. They were all weak attempts at saying no. An idea flashed through her mind. Maybe this was a way she could figure out what's going on with him? A small frown appeared on her face as she thought, not realizing she had yet to answer the poor man.

He took the frown and hesitance as reluctance to come over seeing as they barely knew one another. Even so, he wanted to try one more time just so he wouldn't worry as much later. “If you're worried I'm going to murder you or something you shouldn't. I'm just an officer wanting to make sure people stay safe and well. So would you please let me make sure you're alright?”

As much as Angela wanted to go freak out in her home, the desire to figure out what was happening won out. With a soft smile, she nodded at Gabriel and hopped over the short fence. Standing directly next to the man made Angela realize just how tall he was. Every time they talked he was leaning against the fence, so she never had a chance to see exactly how tall he was.

He took her hand once again and led her to his home. As he fished his keys out of his pocket, he gave her a nervous glance before saying, “I have a dog. A pit-bull actually. I can put him outside if you want?”

A warm feeling passed through Angela as she smiled and shook her head no. The fact that he wanted to make sure that the dog being in was ok with her was sweet. Not many people would think that far ahead before inviting somebody in.

With a soft smile, Gabe opened the door and ushered Angela in. The entry way was small and had a small rack for shoes; before it opened up into a decently sized living room. A sectional couch helped cut off the two rooms to make them seem more separate and less open. On said couch was a dog, a dog who's tail was thumping as hard as it could against the sofa. As Gabe took his shoes off, he said a short command of “stay” to the dog, before gesturing for Angela to do the same with her shoes.

Once his shoes were off, Gabe patted his thighs and cheerfully said, “Jesse!” while Angela took her shoes off. In no time at all, his dog vaulted off the couch straight into him. It was a cute sight. Gabriel holding his dog up in his arms, getting licked everywhere Jesse's tongue could reach him.

While Gabe was distracted with Jesse, Angela looked around the main room of the house. It had a modern feel to it and everything looked as clean as could be. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so how did he die? Or not die Angela supposed.

It took all of ten seconds after being in Gabriel's arms before Jesse noticed Angela standing two feet behind them. With an enthusiastic bark, Jesse began wiggling in an attempt to be put down so he could greet Angela. A chuckle left Gabe as he put him down. The dog immediately jumped on Angela and started basking her in attention.

“I'm glad to see that he likes you. Why don't you make yourself comfortable and I'll start cooking. Pretty sure Jesse will keep you company for the time being.” Gabe said with a wink. He started off towards the kitchen while Angela attempted to keep up with Jesse's attention. After a minute or so though, Jesse heard the fridge door open and took off in the same direction his owner had gone.

A soft chuckle left Angela as she watched the dog dart off. Her eyes soon drifted back to the room in front of her. She stepped forward and peered down the hallway to the right. There were four doors which meant there were still too many variables on how he could have not died. Having taken a few steps towards the hall, Angela paused. I shouldn't just go in those rooms. If I want to figure this out being a decent person would help in the long run.

Turning on her heel, Angela headed into the kitchen. Maybe Gabriel could unknowingly give her a hint as to what happened? 

Stepping through the archway, Angela was met with the sight of Gabriel in an apron cooking in a kitchen that looked like it belonged to one of those tv cooking shows. Her jaw dropped open in amazement as she took the room in. After giving a look around, she finally gazed back at Gabe. The sight of him looking so calm and happy with Jesse at his feet was a heart warming sight. When Angela finally looked up at his face, he was standing there smiling at her. “I know what you're thinking; and yes, Jesse just wants to trip me for food.”

A snort of laughter came from Angela at that as she walked closer to where Gabriel was. “Ah yes, well its a good thing I'm a doctor then.” Stopping a few feet away from them, she looked around the kitchen again in an attempt to notice anything unusual, but one again everything looked normal. She propped her hip against the counter as she watched Gabe cook. Several different questions floated around in her mind as she stared. None of them either seemed right to ask or seemed like they would gather any useful information.

After a minute or two of staring, Gabe, without looking up, asked; “Something wrong Doc?”

“Yes, you are dead and I don't know how you're still talking.” A look of horror came across her face as she realized what she said without thinking while he looked at her like she was crazy.

A nervous chuckle left his lips as he put down what he was doing. “Uh, Doc? I'm pretty sure you know this, but dead people can't walk and talk.” One of his hands came up to her forehead again while she looked at the date above his head.

Better rip this off like a band-aid then.

“Yet some how you are.”

He jerked his hand away from her like she had burned him. A glare came over his face that was pointingly telling her to stop joking. Reason one why nobody was suppose to find out about her little 'gift,' nobody responded well to it.

With a sigh, Angela made a request. “Do you have a thermometer?” At the confused expression he gave her, she clarified, “If you aren't dead than you have a normal temperature.”

He huffed out a low “This is stupid.” Before grabbing one of her hands and tugging her towards the bathroom. Once inside, he popped open the cabinet and grabbed the thermometer. The only way to describe Gabriel's annoyance at taking his temperature was that of a small child being denied to stay at home when they claim they're sick.

While his mouth was temporarily occupied, Angela took the few short moments to explain what she could see and how Gabe's death day was yesterday. The thermometer beeped as she finished talking. Before even looking at it Gabe said, "What do you MEAN I was supposed to die yesterday, I am very much alive." The face that followed after seeing what the thermometer said however proved that this man was about to go through the five stages of grief.


	2. Why Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this short bit taking so long. I hope you enjoy it none the less! Also sorry for any errors, I have no beta. Once again thank you to Max because Max is the key reason this story keeps going when I get stuck.

They had been on floor for about ten minutes now. Angela's back against the wall with Gabe's head cradled to her chest. It's amazing how in such a short amount of time they had gone from Gabriel happily cooking for Angela to her holding him while he cries on the floor of the bathroom. Well she should not be that surprised, this mess was kinda her fault.

When the man had initially dropped to his knees, she thought he was actually going to be dead dead from the shock. Luckily he kept breathing because how would she explain all of this and not sound crazy to the authorities. All he did was grip her tight and start crying. It was silent at first, but as soon she rearranged them to a better position he started bawling.

To be fair, he was taking the news of being dead far better than expected.

The little back rubs and soft words she cooed at him seemed to help a little, even if all they did was get him down to a softer sob. It was probably better that this was happening. Any other medical professional would have flipped out and possibly shipped him off to some facility to be tested on. With his body not showing any signs of decay other than the temperature drop, he'd surely be studied intensely for numerous reasons. They would with no doubt end him permanently while trying to figure out how to replicate his condition.

That realization made Angela's blood run cold. Gabriel was too kind to be subjected to such horrors. All of those thoughts just made her more determined to figure out what caused this aliment. If there was a way to fix it then she was going to make it happen. No matter what.

At some point during her internal panic, she had gripped him so tightly that her nails were digging into him. She didn't snap out of her thoughts until he placed his hand on her cheek.

“You ok, Doc?” he croaked out.

There was that look of concern from earlier again. The look that had Angela feeling like somebody cared for her with all their being.

A sigh left her as she leaned into his hand. Going so long without having a social life left her touch starved and basking in the sweet gesture. She took a moment before responding. “I'm just worrying over you. I don't want something worse to happen to you and if possible then I want to fix what has been done. Help you figure out what happened and how.” She paused for a second to collect her thoughts while she ran her hand through his hair. “We may not know each other well, but not many people will be as understanding to your condition as me. I don't want you to get hurt.”

Gabe chuckled softly as he sat up. He was touched at the fact that she wanted to help him. They talked maybe a handful of times before this, yet she was ready to dive in head first to help him. Perhaps this is why she was known as a literal angel at the hospital.

After rubbing away his tears, a more serious look took over his face. “I might know what caused this.” His eyes stayed locked on the tiles of the floor as he spoke, “The cancer was eating my body. It was terminal.” He choked on the last word. His eyes were getting glossy with unshed tears and his hands gripped the fabric of his shirt tight. “A geneticist named Dr. O'Deorain said she had a possible cure. So I accepted her offer. Yesterday was the final treatment.”

A bitter laugh left him. "It was literally the final treatment," He sobbed.

Sorrow coursed through Angela as she took in what he said. Cancer was never easy to deal with. All the treatments and tests and chemo wore down on the patient and their family. But knowing it was terminal made everything even harder. 

One of her hands came up to rub circles on his back again. That name sound familiar. Dr. O'Deorain. Where had she heard it before? It set off warning bells in Angela‘s head, but why? Why did this name give the sense of dread? Pushing it to the back of her mind, She decided to do some digging later.

On the bright side, they probably knew why this happened. Which meant there was a starting point to figuring it out. The downside though was not know if it could be fully reversed or not.

Working out where to go from here would be the best bet Angela decided. Both of them needed to be on the same page if anything was to get done.

Although taking a day might be beneficial given the gravity of what was dropped on Gabriel. 

Angela pulled away from Gabe and stood up. Moving somewhere more comfortable seemed like a good idea given that before they start playing detective, Gabriel needs to get himself back together. She stretched out her hand to help the man up, and was happy he did not accidentally pull her down while he used her as support. Their hands stayed clasped together while she brought him back into the kitchen.

"I will admit that I have almost no cooking ability what so ever, but I feel like some normality would be nice. So shall we finish dinner?“


	3. The Past Comes Back to Haunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos! I'm glad people are enjoying this story. Another small chapter, but at least it is up a bit faster lol

Dinner had gone nicely. Gabriel was able to laugh and enjoy his night while he taught Angela how to not burn down a kitchen. Jesse had gotten to eat all of Angela's failed attempts while they ate Gabe's delightful cooking. The night was like any other night spent with an acquaintance. They learned about each other's jobs, home lives,favorites,etc. It was all fun and games until Angel left to go home.

Immediately after locking her front door, she rushed to her room and turned on her laptop. The entire time at Gabe's in the back of her mind she was trying to figure out where she had hear the name O'Deorain. It was irritating how familiar the name sounded. Had it been somebody that worked at the hospital temporarily? Had they been on tv or made a medical journal?

Rubbing her face, Angela glanced at the laptop before stripping down to her undergarments so she could change into something more comfortable. The laptop was old and was going to take a couple of minutes starting up which gave her ample time to change. So she went though her draws to find her favorite worn out sweatpants and tank top. 

Dressing quickly, she walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Sleep was calling out to her. With everything that happened, she was exhausted; but that itch to find out who this doctor was was stronger.

After finishing in the bathroom, Angela was delighted that the laptop was finally ready to go. She grabbed it off the desk and brought it with her to bed. The idea of possibly falling asleep at the desk was unappealing with how tense she already was. The oncoming days were bound to only bring more stress so taking small comforts were they popped up seemed like the best idea.

“Who are you Dr. O'Deorain?” Angela mumbled to herself as she opened the internet and typed the name into the search engine. 

At most, Angela had hoped to find a place of employment or some articles about the other. However, the results that popped up were alarming. Not only was Dr. Moria O'Deorain a well established geneticist, she also had been involved in several court cases involving inhuman treatments and negligence.

Several of the articles about the court cases were opened and read. No matter how much evidence was stacked up against the geneticist, she always got to walk away without any consequences. The idea that such a monster got to keep going made Angela sick to her stomach.

One of the articles made Angela freeze in horror. This was why a feeling of unease came with the oh so familiar name. They had been employed on the same project at the university almost a decade ago. This was the Doctor that Angela was constantly arguing with over proper techniques and methods. The two had gotten along in the beginning. Seeing eye to eye had been easy since they wanted to develop cures as quickly and effectively as they could; but somewhere down the line, Moira's views changed. In the end, she had been removed from the team at Angela's demand.

Tears leaked as Angela shut the laptop down and put it on her nightstand. This is not good, she thought as she curled around a pillow. Who they were dealing with had friends in high places. Even if they managed to get their hands on Moria's notes somehow, the woman could simply out Gabriel's condition if she finds out it was them and that would be the end of it all. It wouldn't be hard to figure out who took them if Angela came snooping around, and Gabe had no reason to go back anytime soon so that was even more red flags.

Pressing her face hard into the pillow, Angela sobbed freely. Helping people is what she did best. She promised Gabriel to help him in anyway she could, but how can she help him when the odds look so grim?

Slowly, she sobbed herself to sleep. The wear of the day had caught up even faster with all the emotional toll added onto it. Tomorrow was a new day. Hopefully it would go better than it seemed.


End file.
